I reached school at 7.30am today for camp. I was quite excited about the camp even before the exams started. Today was like, the day I had been look forward to for quite some time, and a motivation for me to work hard so I could take time off to enjoy life.

The camp started off with everyone sitting around in their usual, distinct cliques. We got mixed around and joined our new groups. My group consisted of Ai, Quraisha, Ruo Han, Zhou Xian. Are group was named "Carlsberg" (the name of a drink). If I remember properly, this was our group cheer (sung to the tune of the chorus of the Carlsberg advert jingle):

We are the Carlsberg, we are the number one
Mess with us and you will all get drunk
We are the Carlsberg, wait until you're eighteen...

We did some ice breakers and team bonding games and I think I got to know many people much better. Like Zhou Xian, Quraisha and the new sec 1, Ruo Han, they were really nice people and quite cooperative too. Although people like Zhou Xian and Quraisha have been around for some time in CCA, I've never talked to them past "give me your A.. out of tune!". Today, I started knowing some juniors in a deeper level, and that was the best reward from camp, well, not forgetting the other fun too.

Halfway while the juniors were having sectionals and the seniors were busy writing a welcome message for the sec 1s and our "will" for the rest of the juniors, Joycelyn broke the news that camp had been cancelled. Today was our first day, and also our last day. I was quite stunned at first, and I didn't quite believe it. It took me until Joan and Joycelyn talked to Ms K, and said there was nothing that could be done to continue the camp past day 1 before I finally accepted 95% of the situation. All the way till the final debrief, the last 5% was hoping for a miracle. But of course, it never happened. I have doubts about my motto, "Never give up, even when things are looking hopeless". While such optimism is commendable, it often leads to greater disappointment and the wastage of hoping. On the other hand, for someone who isn't optimistic, he/she would readily accept the hopeless situation and get on with it faster.

In the afternoon, we played the amazing race in school. It was very well planned, creative and fun. It involved a great deal of teamwork and enthusiasm to enjoy the game, all of which were present when we were playing. I got to interact more with my group mates and saw them in a different light. Most of the groups agreed on the "don't pop our balloons and we won't pop yours" treaty, signed using a handshake. We were mainly targeting the Ginger Ale team. The amazing race was really good and enjoyable.

Joan, Joycelyn (and Danielle, though I don't think she sees this):
The three of you really put in a lot of effort in planing the whole camp and I really appreciate that. I saw how all of you planned and worked at it all the way since the end of the MYEs till today, and it must have been tiring. The camp may have gone drastically off course, but I hope it won't let you down too much, because it really was a success. I admired how all of you were so versatile, being able to adapt to the sudden change and working around a completely new schedule. The bonding camp definitely achieved it's objective because from what many people shared, they got to know each other better, not just in breadth but in depth. Just treat this camp as a dry run for the camp after O levels. More importantly, remember that it's the process that counts, not the result.

There's tomorrow to continue looking forrward to. Going to Ai's house to slack with the camp comm.